Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Blooded
AUTHOR: Nat Kennedy
PUBLISHER: Lagomorph Press
LENGTH: 387 Pages
RELEASE DATE: September 25, 2021
BLURB:
A broken mage. A penitent vampire. Can they put aside the horrors of the past to save each other?
Plagued with erratic. volatile magic, Nicodemus Green focuses his entire life to stop an evil sorcerer who brainwashes or kills anyone in his path to domination. Ten years into this crusade, Nick stumbles upon his former Academy instructor in the Austrian Alps. The strict and pious Byron Domitius has cloistered himself in an isolated manor. Alone and starving, he hates the twisted, damned creature he has become.
A prophecy calls for Nick and Byron to bond by blood to finally bring an end to the sorcerer’s hidden agenda. The two are forced to see beyond their shared past, and Nick finds himself desiring more from his old instructor than just his magic. But are these emotions real, or do they come from the heat of their bond?
REVIEW:
For Magical History specialist Nick, graduation meant access to even more ancient texts and the opportunity to become a demon slayer. Byron Domitius was an original bad boy who eventually saw the error of his ways, ultimately turning into the instructor everyone wanted to impress. Though he mostly ignored Nick. However, events changed many people’s lives, including those of Nick, his close friends, and his former teachers.
Blooded is a novel that seems to have had an incredible amount of thought put into it. Worldbuilding doesn’t take any shortcuts. It is also a very involved read that takes some concentration. The opening pages included a lot of information and character introductions that I had to re-read with no surrounding distractions. After that, I felt it was akin to Buffy The Vampire Slayer meets Harry Potter with a different type of wand. The story is long, and at times I was impatient for progression, wondering if certain passages were necessary – sometimes less can be more. Nevertheless, the story sucked me in, and I read every paragraph. Life meant that I left it alone for a few days, and when I returned, I shut the door and immersed myself into the intricate tale being told.
The tale is the classic, man wants world domination, good vs evil, where the cast has a lovely combination of personalities. On the outside, it looks like Nick and Byron are an unlikely awkward pairing. The circumstance of their coupling isn’t conducive to a naturally forming relationship – that, in itself, made for interesting reading and something different from the norm. As the story continued, the two grew on me to the point where I believed they were made for one another. Nick is an accepting man of action. Byron is deliciously tall, dark, and brooding with a caring protective edge.
Overall, I found Blooded to be a comprehensive adventure into the paranormal. The action is well thought out, enlightening, and adds another layer to the tale. Occasionally, story progression can get bogged down by otherworldly information and drama, making me periodically overwhelmed, sometimes impatient, mostly exhilarated. But the characters are loveable, and I feel like I fought every battle with them.
There is no word to confirm or deny, and this thought is purely my own gut reaction. But the author has created such an expansive world that it almost feels like the door is slightly ajar – allowing for the prospect of another story from this universe.
RATING: 
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